After carefully looking around to see if someone was nearby, Jinn removed the robe covering him and bundled it up before making his way towards the Orphanage. He did not directly walk into the front since his rendezvous was a little secret.
Instead, he walked around the orphanage and arrived at one of the side boundaries hidden behind several housing buildings mostly accommodated by tenants.
Even though the 7-foot-tall and 3-foot-thick brick wall was like a diamond shield guarding a fortress, every defense has its weakness.
It did not take long for Jinn to find one of this one. He first came across it on his second secret trip in the outside world. At that time he came across some chipped-away bricks in the wall that no one decided to repair.
For a moment, Jinn ignored the wall and crouched down. He started moving the dirt around the base of the wall, and a small hole showed itself to him. Placing everything he bought inside the robes he had taken off earlier, he tied it into a makeshift bag.
Jinn looked around to check his surroundings once again. Then he pushed the ’package’ deeper into the hole and covered it back up with dirt and leaves.
Standing up, he dusted off his clothes and hands. Turning around, he started walking down the narrow alleyway between the wall to his right and the houses to his left.
’This should be enough.’
After a couple of steps, he looked back at the wall. Inhaling deeply, he twisted the tips of his feet into the ground. Get full chapters from 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝※𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖※𝕟𝕖𝕥
And on the next exhale, he launched himself like a bullet.
Like a charging bull, Jinn tore through the air and closed the distance between himself and the wall. Then, without breaking his rhythm, he jumped, lifting himself two or three feet high up in the air.
Even though it was not enough to jump over the wall, it was enough for him to reach the crack in the bricks.
With precise movements, Jinn planted his feet in the crack and pushed himself up once more while extending his left hand to grab the top of the wall.
Using the momentum and the support of the top of the wall, Jinn shifted his weight mid-air, flipping himself.
With his hands still on the wall, his legs spun before...
With another flip, Jinn safely landed on the ground of some corner garden behind a huge building. Even after all of that, the boy did not even appear to be out of breath.
But looking down at his dirty hands made him wonder, ’I should have taken the third hidden entrance instead.’
But now that he had gone through with his choice, Jinn shook his regretful thoughts off.
"Is anyone nearby?" He whispered under his breath without raising his head to look around.
For a moment silence followed before the sinister voice replied, "No one."
Jinn sighed in relief and knelt down. He repeated his actions of digging up the dirt before pulling out his dirty robe wrapped around the paperback.
Taking the bag out, he hid the robes inside a dense bush nearby. Once the hole was covered up, he turned around and left the garden.
’Now I only need to bring these things inside my dormitory without anyone noticing them.’
After some careful stops and some necessary detours, Jinn was now standing before the final hurdle. The ultimate test of his sneaking abilities:
Up until now, no one had stopped him. He really wanted this quietness to last until he reached his dorm room.
"Jinn! I did not realize you had gone out." Just when he was about to take the first step into the building, a familiar voice stopped him.
Geralt, who was standing in the corner of the hallway, waved at him.
When Geralt saw him stopping, he walked towards Jinn while scanning him with his eyes. "Where did you go? Why are you dirty?"
"Ah..." Jinn looked down and acted as if he had just realized how dirty he was. With an embarrassed smile he replied, "I was running around the back and stumbled upon one of the overgrown roots."
Using his empty hands, he dusted off the dirt from his trousers and sweater. "I should go wash up and change."
Geralt noticed scabs of dirt on his hands and nodded thoughtfully. ’It seems he really fell, but was he really out running this late? Or did they come from something else entirely?’
"You should hurry." Even as he gave way, his eyes did not move from the marks on Jinn’s hands.
Jinn walked straight to the end of the corridor. Only after he turned around the corner did Geralt look away and walk up from the stairs near the entrance.
There were four stairways that led to the upper floors, and even though Jinn took the one at the farther end, Geralt did not find it suspicious because that stair was closest to his room.
It had not been a minute since he left; Jinn walked out from the corner he had turned. He did not stop and rushed across the hallway, vanishing into another corner.
Soon, he returned. Only this time, he had a paper bag in his hands.
’Fortunately I sneaked the bag inside from the open window.’ Jinn did not stop walking or climbing until he was on the third floor. Right around the stairway, there was a small cabin used as a store for cleaning materials.
Jinn knew that no one would access it until the next morning, so he hid the bag inside the small room.
’See you later tonight.’ Hiding the items he had purchased under one of the dirty rags, Jinn came back down to the second floor.
Standing before the dorm room he shared with many others, Jinn took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Opening his eyes, he opened the door only to see something jumping right at him.
By pure instinct Jinn reacted and dodged to the side. A dull thud sounded right after he did that, followed by a pained whimper.
Jinn blinked as he realized what had happened. He looked down to see a little boy, around the age of six, lying on the ground holding his head with his hands.
Looking at those watery eyes ready to burst out, Jinn cried inwardly, ’I really hate kids.’